Dietary requirements at a wedding
Almost every couple collects dietary needs twice: once badly, on an RSVP card, and again in a panic three weeks out when the caterer asks for a breakdown.
Collecting them as you go is the whole trick, and it takes seconds each time.
Ask once, in the right place
Put the question on the RSVP rather than in a separate message, because people answer what is in front of them and ignore what arrives later.
Ask an open question, not a tick list. A tick list gets you vegetarian and misses coeliac, and it certainly misses the guest who simply cannot eat fish.
Separate a preference from a medical need
These get merged constantly and they are not the same. A vegetarian guest will survive a mistake. A guest with a nut allergy will not, and your caterer needs to know which is which so they can control cross-contamination rather than just the menu.
Write down the actual words the guest used. Rewording somebody's allergy into a category is how detail gets lost.
Faith requirements are catering requirements
Halal, kosher, vegetarian for a Hindu ceremony, no beef, no pork, no alcohol in the cooking: these are not special requests, they are the brief.
Say it when you enquire rather than after you book. A caterer who cannot do properly supervised kosher will tell you straight away, and that is a much better conversation to have in month three than month nine.
What the caterer needs, and when
Usually a fortnight out, but the deadline is theirs and it is the one that counts.
- A total headcount per event, not per wedding
- A count per requirement, with the exact wording for allergies
- Which table each one is on, if you are doing a seating plan
- Children, and whether they are eating the same meal
Common questions
How do you ask guests about dietary requirements?
On the RSVP, as an open question rather than a tick list. Tick lists miss anything the couple did not think of, which is most things.
When do caterers need final dietary numbers?
Usually around two weeks before, but every caterer sets their own deadline and theirs is the one that matters. Ask at the point of booking.
Do I need to cater for allergies separately?
Yes. An allergy is a safety matter rather than a menu preference, and your caterer needs the exact requirement so they can manage cross-contamination in the kitchen, not just swap a dish.
Ready to start?
Plan every event, guest and tradition in one calm place. Free to start, no credit card.
Start planning, free